MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — On the EasyA Hackathon tucked inside Consensus Miami 2026, the vitality felt much less like a conventional crypto developer occasion and extra like a stay audition for the following technology of the intersection of blockchain and AI-native startups.
Almost 1,000 builders competed on the venue, some from established crypto ecosystems like Base and Solana, and others arriving from firms like Microsoft and Google, all racing to construct merchandise round one theme that stored surfacing in dialog after dialog: AI brokers.
The deal with AI brokers had already emerged earlier this 12 months on the EasyA x Consensus Hong Kong hackathon, the place organizers described 2026 because the “12 months of the Software Layer” as developers increasingly shifted from infrastructure tools towards AI-powered client functions and autonomous brokers.
For brothers Dom and Philip Kwok, co-founders of EasyA, that evolution is strictly the purpose. What started as a small hackathon sequence in Austin, Texas, throughout Consensus 2023 has rapidly reworked into considered one of crypto’s most carefully watched builder gatherings, attracting younger passionate builders with more and more groups with severe technical pedigrees.
Their ambition for the occasion is bluntly easy. “We wish billion-dollar firms popping out of EasyA,” Dom Kwok mentioned throughout an interview with CoinDesk on the hackathon flooring. “We’ve already had, out of our different hackathons, a $10 billion firm.”
That success story has turn out to be a part of EasyA lore. One Harvard staff that pitched at a earlier EasyA occasion went on to discovered “Cognition AI,” which the Kwoks say is now valued at roughly $10 billion. One other former participant, Axal, is constructing stablecoin yield merchandise backed by bitcoin.
Different alumni have reportedly gone by way of Y Combinator, raised from high enterprise corporations and processed lots of of tens of millions in transactions. The message to builders strolling by way of the Miami occasion was clear: that is now not only a couple-days coding competitors, it’s more and more being framed as a launchpad for venture-scale firms.
This 12 months, nevertheless, the middle of gravity has unmistakably shifted towards agentic AI. Coinbase sponsored challenges round x402, an rising framework builders are experimenting with for AI-agent funds and interactions, whereas Solana and Solana Cell pushed groups towards mobile-first functions and client experiences.
“A number of builders (are) actually enthusiastic about AI agentic workloads,” Dom mentioned, pointing to the latest wave of huge enterprise funding flowing into AI-agent infrastructure startups.
A few of the tasks already circulating across the venue mirrored how far builders are stretching the class. One staff referred to as Praxis was engaged on blockchain-connected drones controllable by way of smartphones, what the brothers described as “the following Palantir on the blockchain.” One other startup was constructing what they referred to as “hyper-intelligent AI,” software program designed to show textual content prompts into bodily 3D objects. “You could possibly put in a immediate and say, ‘Construct me a microscope,’ and it’ll really construct it for you,” Phil mentioned. “It’s like the following section of taking ChatGPT from one thing informational into one thing embodied.”
The winners:
The judges rewarded tasks that pushed AI brokers past chatbots and into real-world coordination, automation and commerce, whether or not by way of {hardware}, funds infrastructure or consumer-facing apps. Throughout the totally different sponsor tracks, the profitable groups mirrored the broader shift underway at this 12 months’s hackathon: builders have been now not simply constructing crypto instruments, they have been constructing merchandise meant for on a regular basis use. Prizes differed per monitor, and are nonetheless pending on how they are going to be divied up in every class.
Kickstart Observe ($50,000):
First place: FlyPraxis
Taking the highest spot within the Kickstart monitor was FlyPraxis, a real-time drone intelligence platform designed for army operators. The staff pitched the undertaking as “Palantir, however in actual time,” utilizing AI-powered coordination and stay battlefield intelligence to handle autonomous drone techniques.
Second place: HIIE
HIIE positioned second with a platform that turns textual content prompts into totally buildable {hardware} merchandise. Utilizing AI brokers to handle every thing from physics calculations and element sourcing to 3D CAD technology and meeting documentation, the startup aimed to compress months of {hardware} prototyping right into a single workflow.
Third place: Clan World
Clan World rounded out the highest three within the Kickstart monitor, becoming a member of a broader wave of groups experimenting with AI-native coordination and community-driven functions.
Solana Cell Observe ($30,000 + $75,000 price of Solana telephones)
First place: Parabola
Within the Solana Cell monitor, first place went to Parabola, a decentralized prediction and estimation market constructed on Solana. The platform permits customers to take a position on real-world occasions by way of a distribution-based AMM mannequin designed for mobile-native buying and selling experiences.
Second place: Snakr
Snakr took second place with an AI-powered meals intelligence app that lets consumers scan merchandise to establish potential well being dangers, FDA remembers and ingredient considerations. Customers may contribute lacking product info and earn Solana-based rewards in return.
Third place: Rhythym
Third place winner Rhythym targeted on productiveness and accessibility, constructing a cellular routine-support app geared toward serving to customers with government dysfunction full each day duties. The app integrates with Solana’s Seeker telephone, Nova 2 Lite and x402 infrastructure to create AI-assisted workflows.
Coinbase / AWS Observe ($45,000)
First place: Dairy Value API x402
The Coinbase and AWS monitor centered closely on AI-agent funds and autonomous commerce. The profitable undertaking, Dairy Value API x402, constructed a pay-per-call commodity pricing and forecasting service that enables AI brokers to entry dairy market information with out conventional API keys. Funds are settled instantly in USDC by way of x402 on Base.
Second place: AgentPay
AgentPay positioned second with a fee coordination system that provides customers one-tap approval over AI-agent transactions whereas utilizing AWS-powered danger validation to make sure brokers spend funds responsibly.
Third place: Giggy
Giggy took third place for constructing a market the place customers can rent AI brokers to carry out analysis duties. Funds are locked in crypto escrow on Base, whereas the brokers themselves will pay for premium APIs by way of x402-powered transactions.
Runner up: Chainlens
Chainlens targeted on belief and verification for autonomous techniques, constructing an x402-compatible layer that connects AI brokers to verified APIs and solely releases fee as soon as responses are authenticated.
Learn extra: AI-powered agents dominate the EasyA x Consensus Hong Kong hackathon
